The Way it Should Be
by Tsubasa Hane
Summary: Azulogmon's speech...Kari's mysterious powers & illness...Dragomon... what happened to all those GOOD plotlines dropped during the series, and what might the 02 season finale have been like if they were included?


This fic was rather hastily written after a few hours of ranting over the season finale of _Digimon 02_.  At first, I thought it was some kind of April Fools' joke.  THAT was the ending they're giving us?!  I've seen a more satisfying closure from a Hayano Miyazaki film!  I mean…there were so many subplots, so many plotbunnies, so much opportunity to go out with a bang.  And what did they do?  Diddlysquat.

Needless to day, I wasn't very happy.  Neither were many other _Digimon_ fans, as I soon found out.  So what do I do about it?  Rewrite the ending, of course!  

.

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**DISCLAIMER: **_I think it should be pretty obvious that I don't own Digimon; if I did, then the 02 season finale would have been more like this  
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**Cue Digimon Theme Song**

_Di-Di-Di…Digimon….Di-Di-Di-_

**Aw, screw it…On with the episode!**

.

"This…isn't the Digiworld." Kari stated the obvious as everyone looked around, obviously confused, "But then…"

"…where are we?" TK finished her sentence for her. 

In response to his question, a heavy mist began to fill the place. The children, huddled together, were crying hysterically from fear while Owikawa appeared just as mystified as the digidestined. No one said anything, from both fear and confusion, as the mist thickened to fog and began to take shape. 

Then, over the cries of the children, a voice boomed out. 

"You will never get to the Digiworld now!" The voice sounded oddly like Owikawa's, something he noticed right away. A giant mouth with fangs appeared from the fog, grinning madly. The cries grow louder as the voice explained how they've missed their chance of ever reaching the Digiworld and will never see their own again.

"Wha-…who are you? You sound like me!" Owikawa spoke. Behind him, the children gradually stopped crying at the sight of what was going on before them.

If possible, the mouth's grin got wider, "That's because I am you. I've been a part of you for four years now…don't tell me you don't remember…"

Owikawa is confused by it's words, but a sudden flash comes to mind as he remembers; Hiroki dying…the monster attacks in Tokyo…the digital world…being alone…the Digidestined leaving in a rainbow of light…begging to go with them…a voice….

"You!" he cries out in recollection. 

"So you've finally figured it out, have you?" A different voice sounds now. Not Owikawa's, but…

Gatomon gasped as she recognized the speaker, "I'd know that voice anywhere…it still haunts me in my dreams," she extended her paw accusingly and cried out, "Myotismon!"

At the sound of the name, all the digidestined gasped. Kari stood close to TK, now breathing a bit harder and paling slightly, but still kept her ground.

"Hmm…I see the lot of you have heard of me; I'm flattered." Chuckling slightly, it soon turned to a maniacal laugh. As the sound grew louder, the mouth began to spin until it dissolved into mist once more, entering Owikawa's body for a brief period of time, before exiting once more in a blue-ish hue. As it gathered together, the blue mist took on the form of Owikawa himself, who collapsed to the ground in response.

. 

"Are you sure this will work, Izzy?" Tai asked, impatiently hopping from one foot to the next. However, Izzy—for once—did not have an answer to that.

All five of the original chosen children (minus Mimi, who was still in America) were gathered together at the Summer Camp grounds, where it all began. Sora held on to the young girl who's spore had bloomed early; she was feeling very drained of energy, and the others needed to get her to the Digiworld as soon as possible. 

The gate at Heighten View Terrace had been permanently sealed by BlackWarGreymon (as much as he tried to help, he may have ended up doing more harm than good), leaving the 'destined only one other possibility for re-entry…if Izzy could get it to work.

"It's no use," the red-haired boy spoke up, typing a mile a minute on his laptop, "apparently when BlackWarGreymon sealed the gate in Heighton View Terrace, he sealed every gate in Japan…there's no way in."

"What do you mean there's no way in?" Matt exclaimed, both furious at their situation and worried for his little brother. Tai was in pretty much the same situation.

"That's my little sister in there, and I'm not going to sit around while she gets herself hurt, or worse!"

"I know, I know, but there's nothing we can do." Izzy finally closed his laptop in defeat, looking understandingly at the two older brothers. Their fists were clenched tight, and their heads hung down. A comforting hand was placed on each of their shoulders.

Sora appeared between the two of them, speaking softly, "I wouldn't worry too much, you guys. After all, TK and Kari have kinda gone through this before…"

"But we were always there right beside them!" Tai interrupted.

"…well, Tai was." Matt added, feeling a slight pang of guilt. Sora smiled at the two.

"Not always…remember Piedmon?" she let them think for a moment before continuing, "Believe me, if they could fend themselves from an evil, demented clown at age 8…I think they'll be okay. And don't forget, Tai," she added, turning to her childhood best friend, "TK promised long ago he'd always look after Kari, that he'd do whatever it takes to protect her."

Matt smiled at this. "Did he really say that?"

"Yeah; word for word."

"That's my little bro." He replied, giving Tai a quick glance. Catching on rather quickly, Tai smirked back.

"Oh, no…don't even _go_ there, Ishida!" though he didn't really sound all that dismayed at the thought.

"I didn't; they did."

"…Okay, now you've lost me." Izzy spoke up as he looked up from his laptop, which he had turned back on. Apparently, no one but Tai and Matt themselves knew what they were talking about.  And possibly Sora, but sometimes with her you never know.

Tai gave Izzy an over-dramatized look of shock, "Why, I never thought I'd see the day. The great genius Izzy Izumi actually doesn't understand something? The world _IS_ doomed!"

"Uh, hey…guys?" Joe butted in. Apparently the others didn't hear him, though.

"Oh, very funny, Tai."

"Uh…guys?"

"I thought so."

"Guys?"

"Seriously, what are you two blabbering abou-"

"HEY!" Joe shouted, interrupting Izzy and finally getting everyone's attention. As everyone turned to face him, they immediately saw what he wanted to show them.

A portal was beginning to open, though it was rather small. Curious, Izzy glanced from the portal to his laptop, back to the portal again.

"But, that's imposs-"

"All right, Izzy, you did it!" Tai shouted, giving a whoop for joy and running towards the portal, his digivice outstretched. 

"But I didn't—" 

Once again, the poor boy couldn't get a word in edge-wise as Matt congratulated him, and ran after Tai. He was followed by both Sora (who was holding onto the little girl) and Joe. With not a second to spare, Izzy closed his laptop, tucked it under his arm, and ran after the others. With the digivices outstretched, the five older Digidestined convey straight through the portal, to the Digital World. 

Or so they thought.

. 

"Owikawa" stood looming over the group, an evil smirk on his face. In his hands, he held the dark flowers, which had sprung from each of the children's heads moments before. The young boys and girls now lay in a heap on the floor, unconscious, if unharmed. The flowers began glowing a strange purple color, which took over his entire body. Then, right before the Digidestined's eyes, the purple glow began to grow.

"What's he doing?" Davis asked. Nobody seemed capable of moving, as they all looked on with curiosity.

Unable to take his eyes off the display before him, TK answered, "He's…rising again!"

"But…" Kari asked, her face getting a bit flushed, "as Myotismon, or Venomyotismon?"

As all this was going on, a white flash of light suddenly appeared behind them. They turned to look, and came face-to-face with Tai and the others.

"Uh…I hate to be picky and all, Iz, but…this doesn't look like the Digiworld." Tai stated the obvious as the others looked around in surprise.

"Ahh…the Digidestined; how good of you to join me in my resurrection," a voice, now much huskier and threatening, came from the glow. When it reached to approximately twelve times it's original size, a blinding flash shone, then quickly died down to reveal… 

"Behold! I am Malomyotismon!" The form shouted, it's voice booming across the vast area of the Dimension.

"What?" The older kids shouted. The look on their faces was nearly priceless to Malomyotismon. All five of them…wait… _five_?

Frowning slightly, the large Digimon spoke up (presumably muttering to himself), "There are five…and the two are missing: those little brats."

Confused, Matt asked, "Anybody know what he's talking about?"

"I think he means TK and Kari." Tai answered, looking over at his siblings. They appeared okay, standing right next to each other (as always). Maybe it was Tai's imagination, but he could swear Kari wasn't normally that pale, however. 

The evil Digimon followed Tai's line of sight, straight to the two children. Giving them a once-over, he smirked. "My, my, you two have grown. No wonder I didn't recognize you at first."

Finding his voice, TK managed to growl a response, "Why can't you just disappear and stay gone like all the other evil Digimon?" As he spoke, TK stepped in front of Kari protectively. Last time they had come up against the creature now before him, he was trying to kill Kari. The young boy would be damned if he'd let him get anywhere near her this time; he'd come close to losing her too many times already.

The evil Digimon seemed unfazed by the boy's remark. "I see you've grown witty over the years. Oh, don't worry; I'm not after your little girlfriend this time…" he placed one of his hands in the air, "It's funny you should have brought that up, because someone else already asked for that privilege of destroying the two of you." Raising the other hand, a shimmer of light began to form. It grew larger with every second, until it became clear just exactly he was doing.

"He's opening a portal!" Ken exclaimed. Sure enough, the digidestined could see the outlines of another dimension. 

Sora, Joe and the others took this opportunity to make their way over to the other Dark Spore children. A quick examination revealed they were harmed in little way other than the fact that their energy was pretty much drained.

Kari was the first to recognize the place. "Oh, no…not again!" She exclaimed, her voice sounding as if it were on the edge of tears.

"It's…the Dark Ocean." TK stated. His voice, on the other hand, sounded quite neutral.

"I believe you recognize this place, Light child?" Malomyotismon said as the portal opened further. Through it, they could now make out a figure in the background, rising out of the ocean. 

"Kari….Kaaa-riiii…" a haunting voice called out. As the figure came closer, Malomyotismon spoke to it.

"Have you not digivolved yet, friend? I don't believe they'll recognize you in only your ultimate form." The shadow stopped as if acknowledging him, and gave what appeared to be a wicked grin. Then, right before the digidestined's very eyes:

"DRAGOMON, Digivolve to…PIEDMON!"

"PIEDMON?!?" Everyone exclaimed, eyes growing wide. Almost immediately after his digievolution, the evil clown floated through the portal, which closed behind him.

"Ahh, much better," he calmly stated, though his voice still showed traces of his insanity, "That world was just too dark; and this one is much more cheerful!" His grin widened as he caught a good view of his audience. 

"Well, now…you've all certainly grown. Oh, and look: new friends! My, this _is_ a nice surprise! Now then, where are those two little children—the youngest ones—we have some catching up to do!"

Getting over their shock (somewhat), the newest of the digidestined had their Digimon digivolve: Veemon to Exveemon…Hawkmon to Aquilamon…Armadillomon to Ankylomon…Wormmon to Stingmon. TK and Kari, however, hesitated as their eyes locked on with Piedmon's. He seemed interested in only them, ignoring all the others completely.

Malomyotismon, on the other hand, took quite an interest in the new Digimon before him. "I see you finally figured out how to Digivolve. Shame it was all a waste." The more he spoke, the more he made Davis mad.

"A waste, huh? Only if you call us beating you a waste!" And, his mouth being about two seconds fast than his brain, he called for Exveemon to attack.

"VEE-LAZER!" Needless to say, it caused little more than a dent. The others followed in pursuit, trying to lend a hand.

"GRAND HORN!"

"TAIL HAMMER!"

"SPIKING STRIKE!" Stingmon's attack was the most effective as Malomyotismon was pushed back a few feet from the attack. He still remaining smirking, however, as he quickly recovered, and turned to face Ken.

"Not bad, but after all…I knew there was a reason I chose you to be the Digimon Emperor." He paused to watch Ken's face scrunch with anger at the mention of his ex-ailias, then frowned as he continued, "Pity you chose to betray me. I don't like traitors; just ask Gatomon."

The feline-digimon hissed at that, but remained by Kari's side. Then, Malomyotismon did something no one expected: he attacked…but it wasn't a Digimon he was after.

"KEN!" The other shouted as Malomyotismon's attack hit him almost head-on. The boy quickly fell to the ground, unconscious. Yolei (who was riding Aquilamon) jumped off her digimon's back, landing right beside him.

"Ken…Ken…wake up, Ken!" she cried out. Checking for a pulse, the girl was greatly relieved to find it there, and strong, but the attack had still caused him great injury. "He's okay!" she called to the others, who exhaled in relief at the news. Malomyotismon, however, wasn't as pleased.

"Not for long." He began winding up for another attack. Needless to say, Yolei was a bit more than outraged.

"He's no threat to you! Why are you still attacking him?" she screamed from Ken's side. The boy stirred and faintly opened his eyes, but remained still otherwise.

Malomyotismon snarled at her outburst. "There is a price to pay for betrayal," was all he replied.

"He never betrayed you; you were controlling him!" Yolei seemed almost on the verge of tears. The Digimon paid her no heed as he attacked again.

"Yolei…run." Ken weakly tried to warn her, but she either didn't hear him, or didn't want to. As the attack came, she threw herself over Ken, trying to shield him. Yolei ended up taking the full force of the blast.

"YOLEI!" everyone shouted as she slumped to the floor, right beside Ken. Both pre-teens were now unconscious, and greatly injured.

"Yolei! Ken!" Stingmon and Aquilamon both called the names of their partners, flying to their sides. Though a great burden was lifted from their shoulders when they saw them still breathing lightly, it was obvious they needed medical attention, and soon.

A surprise suddenly befell them all. Immediately following Yolei's brave act, Sora's heart began to glow, in the shape of her crest…. 

In New York, the same thing was suddenly happening to Mimi. She was standing in the park, accompanied by all the other American digidestined (including Michael). They were astonished at was going on. Mimi just smiled and closed her eyes.

"I can feel them…Yolei…and Sora…." She whispered. Michael, who was standing closest to her, asked what she was talking about, but Mimi didn't reply, as she seemed lost in another world.

Back in the strange dimension, Sora repeated almost the exact same action. Closing her eyes, she, too, felt the power coming from her friends. It was a tad strange (besides the obvious), however, as it felt more like Yolei drawing strength from the other two….

Everyone gave a gasp at what happened next. A red light came shining out from Sora and flew over to right above the unconscious couple, where it joined with a green light, seemingly coming from nowhere. Together, they mixed and with a blinding flash of light, a small object formed. Slowly, if floated downward, engulfing both Yolei and Ken in it's light. 

Within seconds, the two were awake…not up to full strength, but still conscious. Half weary, Yolei reached out and grabbed hold of the object. It was a crest. Her crest. The crest of…

"Pure Love." She whispered, immediately understanding the markings. It was a combination of the crest of Love and the crest of Purity: a teardrop outline, with a heart-shape inside the wider portion.

With the crest in her hand, Aquilamon suddenly began to glow. Looking up, Yolei knew exactly what was happening; she felt the power in her hand…

"AQUILAMON, Digivolve to…URANIMON!"

"Ur…Uranimon?" Yolei said with shock in her voice. Uranimon appeared to be a cross between Aquilamon, Shurimon, and Halsemon; a gorgeous bird with pure, white feathers, a silver helmet on his head, and four grand wings. 

The original Digidestined were spellbound at the newest addition to the battle. All four boys were just standing with their mouths open in shock (and Izzy trying to look this up on his laptop), but Sora seemed unnerved as she stood her ground, a far-off look on her face as if she _knew_ what was coming…and why.

Malomyotismon was, to say the least, quite surprised at this turn of events. However, he quickly regained his composure in time to defend himself from his latest opponent's attack:

"CHASTITY BEAM!" A strong blast of light shot from his enormous beak. 

It was quite clear within the first few seconds just how powerful this new Digimon was. Granted with the combined power of two crests, Uranimon was no doubt stronger than most Ultimates. Unfortunately, the latest turn of events seemed to do little, as the attacks put little more than a scratch on the Mega Digimon.

"Humph…as I said before, you're all just wasting your energy!" The arrogant creature spat out, dodging her another futile attempt from the newly evolved Ultimate. 

In the meanwhile, both Davis and Cody had managed to make it over to Ken and Yolei's side, trying desperately to awaken the two, who had fallen back unconscious shortly after, too weak to remain awake any further. 

Watching the attacks have no effect was making Davis' blood boil. One by one, the Digimon were continuing to be struck down. It was clear that with only one ultimate on their side, the Digidestined would have no chance of winning. Glancing over, Davis saw Kari and TK still in a stalemate with Piedmon (strange as it sounds, the maniac mega was just… _looming_ over the two, grinning madly as if he were merely taunting them), meaning they wouldn't be able to help anytime soon. Turning his attention back to the battle, the boy finally couldn't stand it anymore. 

It was just too much.

"I can't take this; he's just standing there grinning while we attack with everything we've got!" Standing up, Davis clenched his fists together as he looked back at the unconscious Digidestined he had come to know as two of his best friends, "Look at what he's done to them…well, I won't let him get away with this; not it I can help it!" His mind knew exactly what he was saying seemed more than foolish, but his heart was telling him just how right he was.

With Davis' latest outbursts, his heart began to glow. A bluish-green light swirled around on his chest before shooting up into the air.

It was déjà vu as the same thing that had happened to Sora (and unbeknownst to them at the time, Mimi) was now happening to Tai and Matt. The shape of their crests formed directly over their hearts, exploding into a steady beam of light. The lights met directly over Davis' head, who was too shocked to move at this point. A sudden bursts of light brought forth yet another crest, which landed in Davis' hand.

Unlike Yolei, however, the boy was quite taken with this. He stared at the tiny object in his hand for a good while before reality sunk in. He looked up just in time to see Exveemon, standing slightly aback from the midst of battle, glowing. 

"EXVEEMON, Digivolve to…HERCULVEEMON!"

"No way!" were the first words out of Davis' mouth as he gazed upon his partner Digimon's Ultimate form. Herculveemon was a cross between Exveemon, Flamedramon and Raidramon. He was dark blue in color, ran on all fours with jet-black wings coming from his back, and had fire markings all over him. A grand horn rested atop his nose.

"CHIVAL FRONT!" a lightning bolt shooting out blue flames, exploding from the horn atop his head, struck Malomyotismon directly in the abdomen. The mega gasped for air as he held his wound, but kept his ground.

"Is that the best you can do?" he sneered, trying to catch his enemies off guard. Telling Cody to keep an eye on Ken and Yolei, Davis headed off to encourage the others in battle, giving them attack orders and words of encouragement.

"Uh…anyone mind telling me what's been going on around here?" Matt spoke up, staring wide-eyed at the action in front of him. The others were pretty much speechless as to what to say; Tai and Joe shook their heads in response.

"Prodigous!" Izzy exclaimed, staring at the information on his screen. The four others turned to face him as the red-headed genius showed them the information on his screen. "Apparently, Davis was able to draw power from Tai and Matt's crests, creating one of his own. When he put his friends before himself, giving him the courage to stand up and fight, it must have activated something. His power is a combination of the crest of Friendship and the crest of Courage…Courageous Friendship…meaning when he showed that trait…"

"…Exveemon was able to Digivolve!" Tai finished, understanding. Izzy nodded.

"Exactly."

Joe adjusted his glasses, "But how does that explain how Aquilamon was able to Digivolve; I mean, Davis showed courage in the face of his friends being in danger, but what did Yolei do?"

"That I haven't figured out just yet." Izzy frowned, turning back to the computer. Sora stood up straight and smiled.

"Think about it. While Davis is a combination of Tai and Matt—Courage and Friendship—Yolei is a combination of me and Mimi…"

"That must've been where that other light came from."

"Right, Izzy. Purity and Love. Those are her two powers—together, forming Pure Love."

"We know that, Sora. The question is what did she do to show that trait." Matt spoke up, looking over at his girlfriend.

"She saved Ken."

Tai rolled his eyes, "We _know_ that, but what does that have to do with…" Realization struck the four boys simultaneously, as their eyes met Sora's with a questioning look on their faces. It was all the girl could do not to laugh at their expressions. Their eyes were wide with curiosity, and widened even more as Sora gave them a brief nod in response.

"…oh."

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Malomyotismon was finally getting a taste of his own medicine. The combined power of the two newest Ultimates along with the two Champions appeared to be winning! Blow after blow was being dealt upon the enemy, and it seemed to really be causing damage. Growling, the evil mega tried his best to counter attack, but while power was most definitely on his side, speed was not. 

Off to the side, TK and Kari (who had little beads of sweat across her forehead) were ignoring Piedmon as their attention suddenly turned to the major battle.

"I think we might actually be winning, Kar!" TK said, watching the events play before him. "Come on; let's go give them a hand." Grabbing the young girl by the arm, TK tried to lead her over towards the others, when something stopped them…Piedmon.

"Not so fast, there. I'm afraid I can't let you pass." He taunted them, waving one of his swords around carelessly. As TK asked why not, the clown merely grinned, not giving a full answer.

_You must not let them interfere too soon; it will ruin everything!_ A voice in his head, unheard by anyone else spoke. Piedmon muttered a reply before focusing his attention to the boy and girl in front of him.

"Why…the fun's just getting started, and you want to leave. That's awful rude of you." He finally spoke, attempting to stall them. With determined looks on their faces, TK and Kari told their Digimon to digivolve: Patamon to Angemon…and Gatomon to Angewomon. 

"ANGEL ROD!" A battle ensued between them, neither side apparently overcoming the other. 

As all this was going on, Malomyotismon was taking blow after blow, weakening him with every attack. And then, finally, it happened. Malomyotismon was literally up against the wall as Uranimon and Herculveemon delivered a double attack. The latest blast sent the mega through the wall of the dimension, and straight into—

"I don't believe it; is that…the digiworld?" Cody asked, astonished. 

Somehow that wall happened to be a wall between the two dimensions. Kneeling on the floor, clutching his abdomen in pain, Malomyotismon suddenly began to chuckle. The chuckle quickly turned to a laugh, which in turn began a roar at the sight of his latest surroundings.

"Foolish Digidestined; you've played right into my trap. Now that I have managed to come back to the digiworld, the powers of darkness are mine!" He stood up so quickly it was as if nothing at all had happened to him. Hurriedly, the others crossed through the barrier hole, Cody and Davis dragging their two unconscious friends behind them, placing them up against a rock as they reached the other side before turning back to the action.

They waited for him to attack, but he didn't. Rather, he just stood there. Nothing was happening…nothing that they could see, anyways. 

But they were wrong. Something, indeed, was happening. That same instant, Piedmon gave up his battle with Angewomon and Angemon. He just…floated away. Mystified, the two regained their composure in time to run up and join their friends. Twice, Kari managed to trip over her own feet. This was making TK worry in the slightest about her, but there were too many other things on his mind at the time to question her about it.

There have been more surprises over the past few moments than there have been throughout the entire New Digidestined's adventure. But nothing, not in the slightest, could have possible compared to the shock, surprise, and fear of what happened next: 

"PIEDMON…"

"MALOMYOTISMON…"

"DARK JOGRESS DIGIVOLVE TO…PIEOTISMON!" 

No one spoke, could barely find his/her own voice, as the latest turn of events occurred right before their eyes. The creature was now twice its original height, wielded countless swords along it's back, and featured characteristics of the two Megas joined together to form its existence. 

It spoke in a voice unheard of from a Jogress Digimon; not two-in-one. The voice it spoke in was both ear-piercingly high and blood-chillingly low at the same time: almost indescribably inhumane. It radiated in darkness, not even requiring to attack for one to sense its power.

It paid no heed to the digidestined; they may as well have not been there at all. Wordlessly, the creature looked towards the heavens, raising its countless swords in the process. Energy escaped from each blade as the sky opened up. Behind the navy-blue backdrop, there lay…the earth.

"W-w-what's going on?" Davis found the courage to speak up, his eyes barely blinking. No one responded, they didn't know what to say. The creature, noticing the looks on the digidestined's faces (and at the same time, treasuring them), answered.

"You didn't think I'd be satisfied just ruling the Digital World, now did you? With the Powers of Darkness at my command, I will rule both worlds in the glory of Darkness!"

Visibly shaking, Kari feebly commented, "That's what Myotismon said four years ago."

"Obviously, he hasn't changed a bit." TK growled, failing to notice Kari's worsening condition.

Up above in the sky, a tiny dot appeared on the earth. It quickly grew, spreading over the vast area…darkness. When they realized what was going on, the digidestined gasped in fear. The Digimon were ordered to attack, but each blast had no effect whatsoever; not a dent, scratch or even tickle. Malomyotismon just stood there as if it weren't even being attacked at all.

"TK?" Kari spoke up, her voice a bit faint. Worried, TK (who was closest) turned towards her.

"What is it, Kar?"

"…catch me." With those two words, Kari fainted dead away. Luckily, TK was right there to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Kari!" everyone exclaimed upon hearing TK's shout. 

"Kari…Kari, wake up!" the boy desperately tried to awaken her, shaking her slightly, but to no avail. He kneeled down so her head could rest on his lap, but still tried to get her to open her eyes. In the next instant, Tai was at his side. The second he heard the others calling to his little sister, Big Brother Mode clicked in; he ran through the open barrier to see what happened, only to find Kari unconscious.

"What happened, TK?" he nearly shouted, taking his frustration unintentionally at the boy. Normally, TK may have slunk back in fear, but he was too concerned for his best friend to feel anything else at the moment.

"She just…fainted." He replied. In the next moment, a thought came to him. Wordlessly, TK placed the back of his hand against the young girl's forehead. It was then his suspicions were confirmed.

"Tai! She's burning up!" he cried out, not taking his eyes off her before then, but only to look directly into those of her brother, "Why didn't you tell us she still gets sick?!"

Tai was almost speechless at this latest revelation, but found his voice in time to answer. "I…didn't know." His voice was much calmer now, but the tone of worry was no lessened, "she hasn't been sick for four years now." As he spoke, TK brushed a loose strand away from Kari's face. His own face was filled with fear; the last time she was like this…

.

_A sickly, 8-year-old Kari is lying down, out of the desert sun, with the others looking over her. No face…not even Tai's…however, appears more worried and concerned than little TK, who watches his newest best friend as she struggles with fever…_

_._

Davis, Cody, and the other four original Digidestined made their way over to the fallen girl, but kept distant enough so the trio (Tai, Kari and TK) had enough space.

"What's wrong with Kari?" Cody asked, quite concerned. First Yolei…now Kari…  The two older girls were like sisters to him, making the young boy even more worried.

"Is she sick again, Tai?" Sora asked, receiving a nod in response. Davis, who never knew about Kari's childhood illness, asked what she was talking about. Izzy, who knew all about it from Tai, explained to everyone.

"Four years ago, while we were in the middle of our battle with the Dark Masters, Kari fell ill as we were walking through the dessert. It was soon after we had split up into groups." At this point, Matt had a guilty look on his face from remembrance, "She collapsed right in the middle of the road. We took her to a nearby shade spot, but it was clear she needed medicine, and soon. Tai and I ended up leaving TK and Sora to protect her in an old abandoned house while we went in search of something for her fever. " 

He explained about the Digimon that attacked, how Tai had been acting peculiar the entire time…and, finally, why. 

"That's when he told me: around the time Kari was about 5, she stayed home from school sick one day. When Tai got home, she was feeling better, so he took her outside to play soccer. She ended up collapsing right in the park, and had to be taken to the hospital. She was treated for pneumonia, and almost died."

"What?" The others cried out; even Matt, TK and Joe, this was news to them. Tai just nodded again, keeping his eyes on Kari.

"She was sick that summer, when we first went to the Digiworld…but it wasn't so extreme. A cold, I think. I just wish I knew why she gets sick; it happens so fa…" his voice trailed off.

TK's eyes, however, we no longer fixated on Kari. He was looking up at the Darkness, slowly spreading across the earth. Without a sound, he diverted his glance back towards the young girl lying on his lap…back to the Darkness…back to Kari. He noticed something; the larger the darkness got, the worse Kari's condition became. A theory was forming in his mind.

"Tai, Kari's been sick approximately four times, right?" TK asked suddenly.

Tai, needless to say, was a bit surprised by the question, "Yeah; when she was 5, that summer, during the Dark Master's fight…and now. Why?"

"So every time she was sick, something was happening that threatened the Digital World?" TK continued his questioning, making a quick notion towards the current events.

"Well…except for when she was 5, yeah…"

"The Original Digidestined!" Izzy exclaimed suddenly, drawing everyone's attention. When asked what he was talking about, he explained, "Leomon told us long ago how there were an original group of Digidestined before us. We never knew when, but it must have been when were younger, say, around the time _Kari was five_?"

Tai's eyes widened, "You mean…"

"…her crest is the crest of Light, and when the Powers of Darkness try to overcome the Light, it affects her too!" TK finished for him.

"Hmm…took you long enough to figure out." Pieotismon spoke up with a touch of sarcasm, temporarily taking over Piedmon's personality before Malomyotismon's kicked in, "In order for Darkness to rule, we had to get rid of the Light. She just happened to go along with the package. Pity, though," it continued, "such power could have been quite an ally, but she refused the offer. I guess she didn't want to survive."

"No, she will survive!" TK spat out in reply. "As long as she has friends and family who love her, there's no way she can't…" 

With TK's bold remark, Kari (for the first time in four years) began to glow. The light spread, quickly covering Yolei and Ken, as well as the Dark Spore children. As it regressed, each person woke up, fully revived.

"What…" Yolei asked as she opened her eyes, unaware of what was going on around her. It didn't take long, however, for her to realize where her attention should be.

Her eyes still closed, Kari stood up slowly. Her entire body was engulfed in a pure, white light. Just as slowly, she began walking towards the giant Mega, her eyes not opening until she ceased, no more than twenty yards away. Tai tried calling her back, but she either didn't hear him, or paid him no heed.

"Lookie here, you're awake!" Pieotismon sneered (the others wondered how it could see what was going on around it, with it's head tilted towards the sky…and the visible lack of eyes, anyway), "Come to watch, or perhaps join us?"

Kari spoke but four words…yet somehow, they put more fear into the creature's mind than even it though possible, "I'm gonna stop you." It was neither a threat, nor a boast; merely a statement. And yet, her voice was so calm…her face, so expressionless, it left a massive impression. Pieotismon, however, refused to let anyone see its fear.

"Really, now…and how do you propose to do that, Light child?" It asked, taunting her lightly. The girl gave no reply, spoke no more, but closed her eyes and concentrated.

The spreading darkness slowed down drastically in the next moment…then stopped altogether. Pieotismon frowned deeply at the sight, then snarled as it began concentrating harder. To no avail, apparently, because the dark merely began receding, shrinking.

The Digidestined, once silent, were madly cheering Kari on, encouraging her. To them, it seemed like Kari was in complete control, hands-down. She appeared to be forcing little effort, and yet was still winning. One (TK), however, saw something completely different:

_Something's wrong,_ he thought to himself, scowling, _I can feel it; she's…scared… It's like the first time the Dark Ocean was trying to take her away from us…from me…._

The longer Kari kept up her little light show, the weaker she seemed to be getting. Beads of sweat were pouring down her forehead, and her expression showed as if she were in pain. No doubt her fever hadn't disappeared yet, even if she was up and fighting. It was truly heart wrenching for the boy to watch, and he felt helpless. 

The others knew something was wrong when she began crying. Tears, one right after the other, and as bright as the light itself, streamed down her face with each blast of power. The Darkness, once disappearing, was now fighting back harder than ever. A million thoughts raced through the young girl's mind as she desperately tried to hold control: past battles…her family…friends…all the people and Digimon who now depended up _her_. But in the end, only one surfaced above the others:

"TK…" she whispered through her tears, "I need you."

No one heard her except for the young boy in question; his heart told him she was calling to him, for him. Without hesitation, TK was up and (against all of Matt's protests) at Kari's side in an instant. Her eyes were still closed as she sunk to her knees, still in tears. 

Kneeling down directly across from her, TK spoke softly, "I'm here Kari."

"TK…I'm scared. I can't keep this up; I'm not strong enough." Her voice wavering, the girl opened her tear-rimmed eyes and met them with TK's. In response, he grabbed her hands and held them tightly in his own. Kari's light was so blinding no ordinary human, or even digidestined for that matter, could have stood it that close. But it let TK in and welcomed him…something it would most likely have done for no one else.

"Don't say that, Kar; you're the strongest person I've ever known." Squeezing her eyes tight, she shook her head furiously.

"No…no, I can't!" she whimpered, sobbing at the same time.

"Kari…Kari…listen to me," he tried calming her down. When she did, he continued almost at a whisper, "You _can_, Kari. All you have to do is believe in yourself as much as I believe in you."

She looked up at him, "You believe in me?"

"We all do: Tai, Matt, Yolei, Sora, Davis…but especially me." He intertwined his fingers with hers, giving them a reassuring squeeze. Kari looked down at her hands, clasped with TK's, and back up at him. Then, very slowly, he leaned in and kissed her. It was soft and brief, but the message came crystal clear.

When they parted, Kari smiled softly at him, blinking away the last of her tears. TK reached out with one hand and gently wiped those still running down her cheeks. 

"I can do this." She whispered as his fingers brushed against the side of her face, "But not without you."

He smiled back, "I'm right beside you."

All the while this was going on, the Dark Spore children had gathered at the edge of the Dimension wall, watching in. Yolei and Ken, fully recovered, had wandered over to the others and now had their eyes fixed on the couple out on the floor. No one could hear what they were saying, but everyone clearly saw the kiss. 

Matt and Tai shared a knowing glance (_'I told you'_), Davis' jaw pretty much hit the floor, while Sora smiled knowingly. Joe and Izzy looked on like proud authority figures, while Cody really wasn't sure what to make of it (after all, he's only nine). Ken, who was standing next to Yolei, wordlessly took the violet-haired girl's hand in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. In response, Yolei looked up at him and smiled softly. Their hands remained clasped as their attention turned back to the action.

And what action it was! With TK beside her, Kari's light grew brighter than before, completely engulfing the Darkness and blasting it out of the earth. As the portal closed, Pieotismon was thrown back several feet. The Digidestined cheered for joy, thinking they won, as the light dimmed down, revealing TK and Kari. 

Opening their eyes, the two stood up and surveyed what had happened. They gave a quick and somewhat weary look around. When the outcome became clear, TK picked the girl up and twirled her around, before they engulfed one another in a big hug.

"You did it, Kar!" TK exclaimed.

"_We_ did it." She corrected him, before pulling away, "Thanks, TK…for everything." TK smiled back at her.

The others were just about to head over to congratulate them, when a blast came from behind the pair. Shielding Kari, TK looked over towards the explosion. Out of the rubble, Pieotismon appeared, angrier than ever.

"You think you've defeated me, Light child? Even with the Keeper of Hope, you've only delayed the inevitable."

"You _seriously_ don't know when to quit." TK muttered. His confidence was lowering, however; the last attack had worn him (and most likely Kari) down pretty badly.

"This is all our fault!" One of the Dark Spore children spoke up. The others began murmuring agreements to the statement.

"Not even they could stop him!" a girl motioned over towards TK and Kari.

"We're to blame."

"This is happening because of us."

"We're useless."

"That's enough of that!" Davis spoke up, overhearing the children. As heartbroken as he was over the TK/Kari situation, he knew that he had to help them someway. "If you just give up, how do you expect them to fight?"

"What do you mean?" one of the little boys spoke up. Davis glanced over at the couple, looking exhausted, and back to the group of children.

"Think about it; TK needs the power of Hope to fight, right? How can he if you guys are going to give up yours?" 

"What does that have to do with him? So we give up; big deal. We're not even digidestined! We don't have a Digimon, or special powers, or nothing like that!" A girl cried out. 

"So?" Davis said, "That doesn't mean you have to give up!"

"Easy for you to say," the same girl responded, "You have all that."

Sora stepped over, "Davis is right. Those things don't matter; what matters is what's on the inside of a person. That's where a digidestined's strength comes from. Not the digivice, crest, Digimon, whatever…from the heart. It's the hopes and dreams you keep inside that make you who you are."

"But what if you've lost all hope?" one of the children asked. Tai came over to answer that one.

"You can never lose hope." He stated, coming up right next to Sora, "Hope is inside all of us; it's what grants us the power to dream."

Davis took over. "If you have dreams, then you have hope. Look at me; I have tons of dreams of my own for the future. Like, someday, I'd like to play pro soccer and become rich. Or, even better, I'd like to open my own noodle card!"

A few of the Digidestined sweatdropped at this, but encouraged him on. "That's great, Davis…I never knew." Ken commented, coming over with Yolei. Izzy and Joe were right behind.

"How about you guys?" Davis asked, trying to get the kids' attitudes up.

The kids looked among one another for a minute, before the little girl who had come along with Sora stepped up and said, "I've always wanted to be a dancer."

"A-and, I want to be a pro-basketball player!" a boy spoke up.

"I'd like to own my own bakery some day," one of the girls replied, blushing slightly "I love the smell of freshly-baked bread."

The smallest of the girls answered, "I've always wanted to be a Kindergarten teacher!"

Another boy added, "I've always wanted to be a comic book artist, but people always told me I wasn't good enough so I gave up…I guess we all kinda lost track of our dreams." He looked up and smiled, "But I really want to be an artist, and I _will_!"

"That's the attitude!" Davis cheered them on. "If you keep believing in yourself, then your hope and dreams _will_ come true!"

"Do you mean it?" the children asked hopefully.

"We mean it!" The Digidestined replied in unison.

"You promise?"

"We promise!"

"Yeah!" Their hearts full of the hope of their dreams, the children gave a gigantic cheer for joy.

With this latest turn of events, TK's "crest" began to glow. Frowning, Pieotismon got ready to attack, and be rid of those pesky Digidestined once and for all…stanrting with the two strongest. 

"ETERNAL SHADOWS!" Pieotismon called out its attack. A dark light came bursting from its person, though "light" could hardly be a word to describe it. It was darkness in its purest form; as Gatomon would say, "darker than a black cat at midnight." And it was heading straight for TK.

_Flash!_

A burst of light shot from TK's heart, ganging up with the Darkness. They met mid-way. Almost instantly, Kari pitched in to help the boy. They were at a stalemate; though it was obvious the two wouldn't be able to hold out forever. At this point, all they had left to rely on were the help of their friends….

"Give it up, foolish Digidestined! You're no match for me. And besides, you think you'll win with _that_ puny army?" It taunted, motioning towards the small group behind them, including the Dark Spore Children, who were contributing their own Hopes into TK's power. 

"Look around; no one's come to help you. They're too afraid." The evil Digimon smirked, "Or maybe they just don't _want_ to help you…"

"You're wrong!" A voice came from over the hill. Everyone's direction turned, all meeting eyes with…Palmon. "We'll never give into you, OR your Darkness." A group of Digimon came up behind her: Betamon…Meramon…all the Digimon from New York, and more.

Gomamon stepped up from another hill, "We don't want you ruling out world!" The Australian Digimon came up behind him, backing him up. The same thing happened on another hill, with Augumon…another hill, with Byomon…and so forth. Thousands of Digimon gathered to face off against the evil threatening their world.

Pieotismon frowned deeply, but kept his ground, "You'll never defeat me; I am supreme master of this world and every other! There is no human, Digimon, or any other creature who can compare with my power!"

Kari and TK stepped forward at this point, hand-in-hand, "You're right." Kari stated, "Alone, there is no creature who can beat you."

Pieotismon smugly grinned at this seeming statement of defeat.

"But," TK continued, "Together, we all have the power to do so!" Hands clasped tightly together, TK and Kari called for the aid of all the Digimon, and each one produced a steaming light of energy…coming from outside the dimension, though them, and into TK and Kari….

"Mimi," Palmon whispered softly, "I need your help…"

Back in New York, all the New York Digidestined, including Mimi, had their Digivices held high, shining brightly with their power.

"I hear you, Palmon, and I'm right here," Mimi responded, though no one else heard the voice that spoke to her, "Right behind you!"

"Betamon!" Michael called out, responding to his own Digimon.

"Meramon!" "Frigimon!" The other Digidestined called out their own partner's names, giving them as much strength as they possibly could.

New York wasn't the only line of defense. All around the world, Digidestined were gathered to support their Digimon pals in the battle: France (Catherine)…Hong Kong (The Poi Brothers)…Austrailia (Jake)…Meixico (Rosita)…

Everywhere.

Back in the digital world, each and every light from the Digidestined reached their partners, fueling the power. The light grew stronger…stronger…stronger…

Then, in one final blast, the power gathered inside of TK and Kari, combining with their own power, and shot out towards Pieotismon.

"No…no! The light…too bright…Nooooooo!" The final blast did him in, as it completely overtook his power, destroying him once and for all…never to even be re-configured again….

In a brilliant flash of light, it was all over. TK and Kari, thoroughly exhausted from using up so much energy, collapsed right on the ground. Matt and Tai were at their younger siblings in an instant.

"TK…Kari…" they whispered softly, trying to awaken the sleeping duo. TK remained motionless (except for his breathing, showing his brother he was okay), but Kari faintly stirred.

"Mmm…TK?" she muttered, still pretty asleep as she peeked her eyes open briefly.

Tai grinned as proudly as ever an older brother would, "No, it's your brother, Tai. Remember me?" he joked, evoking a faint smile from the girl.

"Did…we win?" Kari wearily asked. Tai nodded his head.

"All thanks to you two."

"That's good…" without another word, Kari passed out again from exhaustion. Tai looked down at his little sister, not-so-little anymore, and over at TK. Both appeared fine, just weary.

"We've got the best siblings in the world, you know that, Matt?" Tai spoke to his best friend. The blonde boy nodded in agreement.

"They're perfect for each other." In the next moment, the rest of the digidestined were over to make sure TK and Kari were okay. After a number of "they're fine!"'s and "they're just tired"'s, they were satisfied. As Tai placed Kari on his back to carry her, with Matt doing the same for TK, Yolei noticed someone missing.

"Hey…where's Cody?" Her question was soon answered as Ken pointed back over towards the dimensional border. There, the others saw little Cody half-carrying a semi-conscious Owikawa into the digital world.

"You can make it; we're almost there…" he was saying, encouraging the man to go on. The others quickly gathered around their young friend, asking what he was doing. Cody didn't answer, but the others soon realized that it was for the better. No sooner had Owikawa stepped into the realm of the Digiworld, when Gennai appeared.

"Gennai…will he be okay?" Cody asked, referring to Owikawa. He was clearly low on energy and fought to remain conscious as it was.

Gennai gave the boy a reassuring smile. "He'll be just fine, Cody." Then his expression changed to a more solemn one, "But I'm afraid he's too weak to make the journey home again. He may not survive."

A collective gasp and murmurs rang out through the Digidestined, before Owikawa stood as straight as he possibly could and spoke.

"That's fine with me. I don't want to go back; I've waited too long to come here, just to leave." He was weary and spoke in a dream-like state, but the sincerity of his tone was not to be mistaken. Gennai stepped forward and put one hand on the man's shoulders.

"No one says you have to. How would you like to join us as one of those who help protect the Digital world from outsiders?" Owikawa's eyes filled with tears of joy as he wordlessly nodded his head in agreement, before bowing deeply.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Everyone cheered for his good fortune, before Gennai turned to the other children. They slunk back in fear as he approached them. 

Gennai kneeled down to meet them more eye-level and smiled. "There's no reason for you to be afraid; I'm not the enemy."

One of the boys gathered up the courage to step forward, "That's not it. We're scared you're gonna make us leave."

"Now why would I do that?" Gennai questioned light-heartedly.

"Well," the boy began, shuffling his feet nervously, "we're not digidestined."

The man chuckled as he stood up, "True, but you didn't think all your help would go unrewarded, did you? Check your pockets." Confused, the children did as they were told. Reaching into his/her pockets, each child pulled out what appeared to be a digivice. At the sight of these gifts, they simultaneously gasped and looked back up at Gennai questioningly.

"There are your own digivices. With them, you have the power to travel to and from the digital world at your will. But know this," he continued on a serious note, "If ever you abuse the privilege, they will be taken away, is that understood?"

Grinning madly as they stared at their very own digivices, the children heartily agreed. At last, Gennai turned his focus to the Digidestined, both old and new.

"As for you all, congratulations on your latest victory."

Izzy spoke up, "Technically, we didn't do anything…it was all TK and Kari."

"It was a team effort," Gennai corrected him, "They definitely wouldn't have been able to have win without you."

Yolei pondered something. "Gennai?" she questioned the man.

"What is it, Yolei?"

"I've been wondering something," she paused for a moment, trying to figure out exactly how to word her question, "Pieotismon was defeated by the powerful of…Hopeful Light, am I right?"

The man smiled, "Yes; while the three of you," he motioned to Davis, Yolei, and Cody, "each posses your own double-crested power, TK and Kari share theirs, and for some reason, that makes them stronger than any other Digidestined that has ever existed. The power of Light and Hope."

"Hope and Light." Davis mused, "Where have we heard that before?"

"Azulogmon!" Yolei exclaimed, remembering. The others, especially those who never met with Azulogmon, turned to face her. "He was the one who told us about Light and Hope."

"What did he say?" Matt and Tai asked in unison.

Thinking back for a moment, the raven-haired girl quoted the Guardian Digimon:

.

_"These two crests—Light and Hope, are different from the others: the crest of courage, the crest of love, and the crest of knowledge_ _comes from the power within the digidestined's hearts…But the crest of Light gives life to this world, and the crest of Hope continues to shine, no matter how hard the darkness tried to hide it. Once all the digidestined joined their hearts together, the power was born, and_ the_ Light shone even brighter…._

_._

"Wow, I'm impressed, Yolei." Ken commented as she finished, "You managed to recall his speech word-for-word!" She blushed lightly at the compliment. Meanwhile, Tai hit himself in the head.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" He exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.

"What is it?" Yolei asked, worried she had said something wrong.

"This guy's worse than Gennai; at least when Gennai gives us a prophecy, he _tells_ us it's a prophecy, instead of sneaking it into a speech!" 

Considering this for a moment, everyone agreed with Tai, and laughed at the irony of it all. Meanwhile, the younger children excitedly chatted among one another over their very own digivices, making plans to meet in the digiworld in the future, while Gennai discussed things with Owikawa. 

All was finally at peace in the Digital World.

.

.

_ADULT TK V/O: That was a day the Digidestined and myself wouldn't soon forget. It was the day relationships were born, Myotismon was gone for good…finally…and wishes were granted. A wise philosopher once said, "Today is the beginning of the rest of your life." Not a truer statement could have been spoken for that day...._

****

**_(EPILOGUE: 25 YEARS LATER…)_**

"Hey, Dad! Come on; we're gonna be late!" 9-year-old Tenki tried desperately to tear his father away from the computer, "Mom and Angel are waiting for us!"

TK smiled, as he recalled having similar conversations with his own parent long ago, "Well, then, I guess we better get going."

_A lot has changed since our very first days in the digiworld, and yet, there are some things that will always stay the same…_

[Scene shows Adult TK and his son greeting the group, all gathered in a group at primary village. Being one of the last ones to arrive, the father and son duo met up with nearly everybody all at once.]

[Scene of Adult Izzy and his young daughter, Ira, as they communicate using computer-related phrases.]

_…like Izzy. Two guesses what his career came to be focused on: computers. He's currently the leading research scientist in the country, as well as ambassador to the Digital World; after all, who else would you expect…Tai? _

_ His daughter, Ira, wants to follow in his footsteps. The two of them have their own language!_

[Scene of Mimi—yes, she's got that dumb hat on—, and her son, Mike.]

_Mimi is currently famous, not just for being a digidestined, but for her latest summer clothing line-up. Yes, she grew to be a fashion designer, just as she always wanted. _

_Her husband, Michael, is also her manager and producer of many of her fashion shows. Believe it or not, she claims much of her inspiration to come from Sora, if you can believe it; she combines sports with fashion…a mixture of substance and style. _

_Her son, Mike, however, would rather NOT talk about it… Oh, yeah, and did I mention the fact that she NEVER takes that hat off? She considers it her "trademark"…_

[Scene switches over to Joe, and his son, Jake]

_Joe became the digiworld's first doctor. Of course, this means his patients don't even care how many PhD's he has…all they care about is whether or not he runs out of lollipops! _

_ His son, Jake, honestly has no interest in that stuff, so Joe tells him to take his time and choose a career that he wants to do, and whatever it is, he'll always be proud of him…_

[Scene switches to Ken/Yolei, along with their son, Osamu, their daughter, Raven, and their little baby girl, Violet—the other three girls are seen cooing over the baby in Yolei's arms, while Ken just stands off to the side, sweatdropping]

_Ken and Yolei got married soon after college. They just recently had a baby girl, named Violet. Their other two kids, Raven and Osamu, have Yolei's personality and Ken's intelligence: a deadly combination, especially for babysitters…and let's say, I speak from experience. I never met a brother and sister who got along so well, and devised evil plots as such. _

_As for Yolei and Ken: the two of them, together, started a computer company, which earns millions a year. Of course, it looks like Ken might be running the show for a while with a new little one in the house…_

[Scene of Cody and his daughter, Aileen]

_You'll never guess what Cody grew up to be…he chose to take after his father and become a policeman. He sure has changed over the years…and grown, too! Oh, yeah…remember that little girl from the hospital. Jenny? Yup; he married her. They clicked right from the start. _

_Sadly, she passed away a few years ago because of her illness, but Cody says that he sees every bit of her in his daughter, and the two of them are sometimes inseparable; sometimes, he even lets her ride around in the squad car with him. Sensible, reasonable Cody…I figured he'd have ended up as a lawyer, or something. Oh, well…_

[Scene of Matt and his son, Rocky]

_Matt and his band went double platinum during their final years of high school. His son, Rocky, is easily living up to his father's reputation in popularity and talent. _

_Just recently, Matt was mentioning something about applying for a job at N.A.S.A. Yeah, right…he'd probably end up landing on the wrong planet if they put HIM in charge! _

_I'm sure you noticed I haven't mentioned Sora yet; there's a reason for that…_

[Scene of Sora, Tai, and their son, Kyle]

_oh, sure, Matt and Sora dated for a while, but soon it became clear that they were really better off as friends. She ended up marrying Tai after all, and they couldn't be happier. Matt isn't disappointed, upset, or anything; he's one of the more frequent visitors to their home. This obvious pleases their son, Kyle, who's the most popular kid in his own school for personally knowing the great "Matt Ishida", aside from taking after his parents' athletic genes. _

_Tai made a career in pro-soccer, winning national championships and millions in income. Sora took to the courts in her Tennis, going on to win nearly as many trophies in her game as Tai in his. It's always a competition between those two. To be honest (and don't ever tell Tai I told you this), if they ever went one-on-one in a Soccer match, she'd probably kick his butt; all those years of tennis haven't lessened her soccer skills one bit…_

[Scene of Davis' finally arriving last, along with his son, David.]

_Davis? He tried soccer for a while, but his real passion in life was his noodle cart. I'm not kidding…and, believe it or not, it became a world-wide success. _

_His son, David, might as well have been his clone, in everything from Davis' personality…soccer skills…to his obsession with girls, including my daughter, Angel…_

[Scene shows TK finally meeting up with Kari, their 13-year-old daughter, Angel, by her side]

_Kari and I have rarely been apart ever since that day. We married just a year after Ken and Yolei. Our two children, Angel and Tenki, are the splitting image of the two of us. Kari teaches dance to young children, who probably pay more attention to her assistant, Gatomon, than to the actual lesson. In her spare time, she shoots photography for amateur competitions and such. _

_ I came to be one of the top basketball players in the entire Eastern Hemisphere. Currently, I've been setting some of my free time aside to publish a series of books I've written about our adventure of the digital world. They've become almost as popular as the "Harry Potter" series of my time. _

_One thing's for sure, though, nothing about my life could possibly be more perfect than the people who are a part of it: my family, friends, wonderful wife, and two great kids. _

[Scene shows the kids meeting up with each other, getting ready for a game of team-tag, as the parents watch in the background]

_I'd be lying if I said our adventures in the Digiworld ended, because even now, we're always discovering something new. That final confrontation with Myotismon, whatever form he was in, wasn't our final confrontation with evil. We faced many more battles back then, won over many more enemies, and dealt with Darkness many more times after that…but that's another story…_

.

~**_OWARI_**~


End file.
